Since you learned a lot when you conducted the background research for your Literature Review, you are becoming somewhat of a mini expert on your topic. You can now ask a testable question.
You must decide what you want to know. Once you figure that out, you then need to decide on two things: the independent variable and the dependent variable. As you change the independent variable, you will be measuring the dependent variable. You want to find out if changing one variable affects the measurement of the other variable.
Your problem question should address these three questions:
What is your independent variable? What condition or measurement are you changing in your experiment?
What is your dependent variable? What are you measuring as you change the other variable?
How will you make the changes? How is the independent variable changing?
Through your findings, you will discover the specific relationship between both variables. Choosing the two variables carefully will lead you to composing a good problem question that will guide you through the rest of the inquiry process. If you write a good problem question,that will eventually help you write your title. Typically, you won't settle on a final title until after your experiment. However, if you need to fill out initial forms, then the problem question will help you start your title. Unlike the entire problem question, the title focuses on just the two variables and not on how they will be tested.
A good title should follow one of these possible formats:
the effects (noun) of the independent variable on the dependent variable;or
ask how the independent variable affects (verb) the dependent variable; or
You must decide what you want to know. Once you figure that out, you then need to decide on two things: the independent variable and the dependent variable. As you change the independent variable, you will be measuring the dependent variable. You want to find out if changing one variable affects the measurement of the other variable.
Your problem question should address these three questions:
- What is your independent variable? What condition or measurement are you changing in your experiment?
- What is your dependent variable? What are you measuring as you change the other variable?
- How will you make the changes? How is the independent variable changing?
- Problem Question Examples
Through your findings, you will discover the specific relationship between both variables. Choosing the two variables carefully will lead you to composing a good problem question that will guide you through the rest of the inquiry process. If you write a good problem question,that will eventually help you write your title. Typically, you won't settle on a final title until after your experiment. However, if you need to fill out initial forms, then the problem question will help you start your title. Unlike the entire problem question, the title focuses on just the two variables and not on how they will be tested.A good title should follow one of these possible formats:
- the effects (noun) of the independent variable on the dependent variable;or
- ask how the independent variable affects (verb) the dependent variable; or
- the relationship between the two variables.
Title Examples